19/09/2016 HowOrnithoptersFlyErichvonHolstandKarlHerzog

Flappingflight
byErichvonHolstandKarlHerzog
Prof.Dr.ErichvonHolst(19081962)
E.v.Holstresearchedonbiologicalandaerodynamicproblemsofanimal
flight.Ininterplaybetweencreativeflyingmodels,manyexperiments
andconsequentiallythoughtshereachednewperceptionsaboutthe
flappingflight.Therebyamainfocusofhisworkwasonthe
determinationofforcedistributionsalongthewingonupand
downstroke.
Theseconceptionsoftheaerodynamicsandflightmechanicsofflapping
flightwerethebasisforhisnewwingdesignswiththecorresponding
drivemechanisms.Eachofhisflappingwingmodelswasequippedwith
anespeciallyforthisdesignedrubbermotor.
ErichvonHolstexplainedthepropulsionorthrustgenerationofbirdsin
cruisingflightbytheshiftingofliftalongthewing.Correspondinglyhe
wroteinhispaperaboutartificialbirdsasameansofstudyingtheflight
Prof.Dr.ErichvonHolst ofbirds(1943):
Itwouldbetheidealsituationfor
thebirdwhenduringthedownstroke
ofthewingthearmsectionand
duringtheupstrokethehandsection
wasmissing.Youcanmakeit
Basicprincipleofliftandthrust plausibleifyouimagine,thewing
generationintheflightofbirds
areawouldbereducedandcould
Thisistheoriginalimagewith slipalongthearm.Itwouldthenbe
unequalcycletimes.Animagewith
shiftedonthetopofthestroketothe
equalcycletimes,seeTheprinciple
offlight/Howbirdsfly wingtipandonthebottompointto
thewingroot.Inthisway,seenover
awholeflappingperiod,whilemaintainingthetransverseforceQ(orthelift)thethrustSgetslarger
thanthebackwarddirectedforceR.Thisingenioustrickofnaturesolvesthemysteryofbirdflight.
ThatyoucanevenusetheenergylossassociatedwiththerearwarddirecteddriveRandcanrecover
again(seeTheprincipleofflight)wasnotyetknownatthattime.
ThisviewoftheflappingflightbyE.v.Holstwithhiscombinationoftheoryandpracticehasstrongly
influencedthedevelopmentofmyEVornithoptermodelsshownhere.
Thereisfilmfootagewithsequencesinslowmotionofsomeflapping
wingmodelsbyE.v.Holstinthe1940's.Itcanbeseenthelargemodel
SwanandthemodelofaBrimstoneButterflyinflight.Furthermore
thereisshownhisThrustWingwithitsrotatingflappingwingsan
inspirationfromtheflightofDragonfly.
Thisvideoisanexcerptfromthefilm
WingsOvertheWorld.
HerearesomeofhispaperstothethemeFlappingWingFlight:
(WMV,12MB)

TierflugundModellflug PDF
LuftfahrtundSchule,6.Jahrgang,Dez.1940,Heft3,Seite2426 (inGerman)
BerlinCharlottenburg2 1.6MB
Animatedpicturesofaslowmotionfilmfromthisarticle.
Onecanseetheriseoffgroundofarubberpoweredornithopterand

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particularlythechangingoftheangleofincidenceatthewingroot
recommendedbyErichvonHolst.

600KB

Erichv.Holst,DietrichKchemann PDF
BiologischeundaerodynamischeProblemedesTierflugs (inGerman)
Naturwissenschaften13.Juni1941,Volume29,Issue2425, 2.2MB
pp348362SpringerVerlag,Berlin
or
Holst,E.vonandKuchemann,E.,BiologicalandAerodynamical
ProblemsofAnimalFlight,RoyalAeronauticalSocietyJournal,
vol.46
GesammelteAbhandlungen lookat
literature

AlsoagreatadmirerofE.v.Holsthasbeenmypenfriend

KarlHerzog
Intheyear1963/64themodellingmagazineMechanikuspublishedaseriesofarticlesoftheacademic
painterandartistKarlHerzog,titled
DerSchwingenfluginderNaturundinderTechnik
(English:Flappingwingflightinnatureandscience)
AmongotherthingshedrawedanddescribedtherehowthemodelsbyE.v.Holstcanbebuilt.Below,
thesearticlesareavailableseparatelyinPDFformat(allinGerman).Butthereisalsoacompilation
(PDF9.0MB)ofallarticles.
OftheseseriesthereisalsoanoldabbreviatedEnglishversion(PDF2.4MB)withpartlydifferent
pictures.ItwasalsotranslatedintheNetherlands(PDF1.2MB)byLouisvanTelgen.

January Effortsinthehistoryofflying
1963 (PDF1.5MB)

February Biophysicsofthebirdflight
1963 (PDF1.4MB)

Anatomicalsketchofabirdwing
(RockPigeon,Columbialivia)
drawnbyKarlHerzog

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March Flappingwingmodels
1963 byE.v.Holst(PDF1.9MB)
Thisissuecontainsthespecificationofthe
flappingwingmodelBuzzard.

OnthelefttheartificialRhamphorhynchus
byE.v.Holstisinflight.
Thepterosaurhasbeenpoweredbyarubber
motor.Togetherwiththecleverfilament
gearthedriveispicturedinthe
GesammelteAbhandlungen,BandIIby
E.v.Holst(p.116and136).
Pleaselookat literature

April Flappingwingmodels
1963 byE.v.Holst(PDF0.7MB)
Thisistheplanoftheflappingwingmodel
SwanbyE.v.Holst,drawnbyK.
Herzog.
ThereisalsoavideooftheSwan(look
above).
Thiseditionconsiststhespecificationofthe
modelSwanandtheplanofthemodel
Buzzard.

ErichvonHolst
withhismodelSwan

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October 5.Sequence(PDF1.0MB)
1963
Hereisadesignstudyofflappingwingsby
KarlHerzog.AttheversionAandBthe
axisofthehandwingrunsobliquelyin
relationtotheflightdirection,likeonbirds.
Otherdesignersofflappingwingsmostly
aligneditparalleltothelongitudinalaxisof
thewing(likeversionC).

November 6.Sequence(PDF0.7MB)
1963

KarlHerzog
withoneofhismodelwings.

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December 7.Sequence(PDF0.4MB)
1963 Heretheplanoftheflappingwingmodel
BuzzardbyE.v.Holst,drawnbyK.
Herzog.

Animatedpictures(2.0MB)ofanoldslow
motionfilm(ErichvonHolst:ber
knstlicheVgelalsMittelzumStudium
desVogelflugs,JournalfrOrnithologie,
Band91,1943).
Theanimationshowsaclimbflightofthe
artificialbirdofabout30degandaflapping
periodof2.5persecond.Thereistoseen
thesmallrotationofthewingrootandthe
wingtwisting.
Buzzardwithanelectricdrive
byHorstHndler(1988)
Themodelhasacrankdrivemechanism
accordingtothecrankbyE.v.Holstand
therelevantdrawingsbyKarlHerzog(see
below).

January 8.Sequence(PDF0.7MB)
1964

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February Approachestothe
1964 technicalflappingflight(PDF1.0MB)
Thisisanairworthybirdmodeloftype
Rookwithapaperboardconstruction.

The3Dformofthisfoldedpaperwingby
KarlHerzogbasedonthatofbirdwings.

Today,theAueVerlag,Mckmhl,Germany,ownsthecopyrightofthisseriesby
KarlHerzog.Textanddrawingsmaynotbepublishedelsewhere.

LaterKarlHerzoghaswrittenthe bookAnatomieundFlugbiologiederVgel,published1968.
Atthepages136to168itcontainsthechapterDemonstrationoftheanimalflightonthebasisofbird
modelsandflappingflightgadgets.Regrettablythebookisnotavailabletoday.

KarlHerzoggenerallyhasrenderedoutstandingservicestothe
documentationofthemodelsbyErichvonHolst.Buthealsodrawnand
builtownbirdmodelsaccordingtothisideal.

HereapictureofatestflightofhisBuzzard

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19/09/2016 HowOrnithoptersFlyErichvonHolstandKarlHerzog

KarlHerzog(1979)
andhisbirdmodelGoldenEagle

Hehaswrittenatreatise(inGerman)aboutthe
Phylogeneticdevelopmentofdispersibilitybybirds
achronologicallistingofthedevelopmentsofflyingmodelsandmuch
more(partlyunpublished).
HisbirdmodelGoldenEagle
poweredbyarubbermotorinflight

Herzoghasalsoplayedanimportantpartinthedesignofthepermanent
exhibitionFlightinnature
intheDeutschesMuseuminMunich.

ShowcaseintheDeutschesMuseum
Demonstrationmodelwithanactivearmwingtwistingbyapitching
motionofthespare,built1985bysuggestionandplansofKarlHerzog.

Demomodelruning
(800KB)

Planofthefunctionalmodel
toshowthestrokeandtwistingmotionsofthewingsduringtheflapping
flightofbirds.

Drawingofamodel
fordemonstratingthefoldingofthebird'swing.

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Crankdriveforgenerating
thestrokeandtwistingmovement
ofaflappingwing
Therubberpoweredcrankdrivewithafilamentgear,developedbyProf.
E.v.Holst,generatesthestrokeandthetwistingmovementofthewing
atthesametime.Thereto,thelinkagecomingfromthecrankpinispivot
mountedonlyinstrokedirectionatthesparoftheflappingwing.Butin
rotatingdirectionitisnotpivotable.
Thereby,theupanddownmovementofthecrankpinisusedtodrivethe
strokemovementofthespar.Atthesametimethebackandforward
movementofthecrankpinisusedforrotatingthespar.Furthermore,the
sparisinflexibleconnectedwithonlyoneoftheouterribs(Ri).Thus,thecrankmechanismactively
effectsthetwistingoftheflappingwing.Strokeandrotatingmovementofthewingsparsarephase
delayedby90degrees.
Youcanfinddescriptions(inGerman)ofseveralrubbermotorsintheabovearticlesofMarchundApril
1963.

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